


The Bonds We Break

by rin0rourke



Series: Outlines and Ideas [1]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: General outline, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-06 11:47:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13410615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rin0rourke/pseuds/rin0rourke
Summary: Bunny goes undercover as a human in an underground deity based slavery ring, only to find Jack already tearing it apart from the inside out.





	The Bonds We Break

Bunnymund shapeshifts to go undercover in a spirit slavery ring.  


He's disguised as a slave, and he intends to find all the people running this fucking thing and destroy them.  


Jack, who he hasn't seen since the 60s, is there, doing the same thing (not that he knows) only he's posing as a buyer.  


Jack saw some kids get disappeared near his town, and has been tracking the kidnapping ever since. He takes advantage of being a winter spirit to cultivate a villainous persona, he typically avoids people, his reputation is as a trickster who doesn't follow rules, it's easy enough to twist it.  


Also easy to find ships of gold at the bottom of the sea.  


The mermaids don't use gold, more interested in rare surface treasures like land snail shells and shiny stones  


Easy enough to trade , plus he makes icebergs for the selkies.  


Now very rich, though he has as much use for it as the mermaids, he becomes a well known buyer in the trade.  


People assume he eats them.  


He doesn't correct this, he does his best to bring his humans back to their home.  


He's well known for buying children, though he buys adults too.  


Then he spots Bunny.  


Bunny is disguised as a Maori, the spirit slavers claim to have snatched him from New Zealand but in reality Bunny was on a boat in the sea.  


Noone steals from Australia or nearby, because they fear Bunnymund, who can sense when new spirits visit the continent.  


Bunny wagered he'd be rare when he chose this form.  


Jack already has a group of little kids he's bought when he's pulled aside for the private action. He's chatting with a few of the other VIPs, all completely vile people.

  
Bunny sees him and thinks Of fucking course Jack is involved the little monster  


Jack is dressed in a winter American spirit outfit, he changes from one era and culture to another, this time he's dressed as an Inuit spirit.  


His fur trim is suspiciously grey, and it gives Bunny a bad feeling.  


Jack makes a show of being unimpressed by the line of high end slaves, these are usually takes from high risk areas and hold something special. Royalty, chosen by a god, trained in spirituality, or under someone's protection.  


Jack, now believed a cannibal spirit, has no interest in blessings or royalty.  


And, he remarks, none of the slaves are children.  


Which infuriates Bunny.  


Bunny, forgetting himself for a moment, lunges at Jack.  


He's stopped by the magical wards, but Jack and the others are startled back.  


The attendants apologize, and real Aster in.  


Jack though, is much more interested.  


The fawning attendant who was selling them REALLY wants Jack to start buying other slaves. Jack is VERY rich, and children are hard to come by these days, especially with the guardians. Gone are the days humans had dozens of children, gone are the days people left children in the streets by the handfuls. They have a high demand for children, and Jack buys almost all of the ones they supply. He's their best customer, but they're losing others who rely solely on children.

  
Jack can eat any human, he just prefers children, so if they can find adults he enjoys they can balance the stock.

  
Jack is being intentionally difficult in the hopes the ones in charge deal with him themselves.

  
Also, Jack is known for being a nuisance.

  
He obviously is enjoying everyone's irritation with him when he outbids them. Doesn't even hide it.

  
So they explain to Jack that this particular human was taken from New Zealand, right out from under the Easter Bunny's nose. They know, of course, that there is no love lost between the two, and hoped that Jack would enjoy taking something of Bunnymund's.

  
  
The others are wary now, stolen from a Guardian? But Jack puts on his interested face and says That sounds like fun.

  
The attendants are happy that Jack is happy, and even though they ruined the value by admitting the Easter Bunny could be after whoever buys the slave the really just want Jack to stop wiping out their stock.  


The auction proceeds, and you can tell Jack isn't interested in anything but ruining the other bidders' day. Bidding right when it seems the sale is final.  


Slaves are basically supposed to be the cheapest commodity, but Jack makes it expensive.  


Everyone else has other things to buy, people to impress, Jack drops the price of a court ball on one slave  


Jack Frost has come here to fuck shit up.  


Jack buys two of the other slaves, just for shits and giggles (mostly because the ones bidding were blood sacrifice gods) but makes it clear he's LETTING the others buy the remaining. Except Bunny, who is on sale last, and Jack clearly wants. Some take it upon themselves to bid against Jack, like he did them, but it's obvious Jack has no issue with price. On the other hand it would be just like Jack to suddenly let them win and stick them with the wrath of the Easter Bunny.  


Jack actually pauses, lets it go for a bit, and the god he won the little Nun from is panicking he's going to be stuck with the Maori.  


Another god desperately saves him with a bid, and the gods toss it back and forth like a hot potato because if Aster comes for one of them they will blow the lid on the whole thing, so to save their own skins they have to save each other, and WHY THE FUCK WOULD THE SLAVERS STEAL FROM A GUARDIAN?  


Then Jack bids again and the room is just one big explosion of relief.  


And Jack is having the time of his life.  


Everybody at this time hates Jack Frost  


Bunny is ready to tear Jack to pieces as soon as he can. He plans of going after everyone who buys him, then return as a different slave.  


He fully intends to rescue the kids Jack has.  


But is also anxious Jack has other slaves back where he "lives"  


So he grudgingly allows himself to be hauled all the way back to Jack's home, only to find its a lake near a cul de sac  


Jack can be seen by the slaves when they are warded, and starts asking the children careful questions. He hands them blue glowing snowball and tells them to think of home.  


Some of the kids have no home, orphaned, abandoned,  runaways, but some do, and as the snowball glows brighter Jack leads them towards the lake. In the ice reflection is the place they want to go. He tells them to throw the snowball high.  


When they do the snowballs explode into snow flurries, and the reflections have matching snowstorms.  


He tells the children to walk out onto the ice, and the snow will help them home.  


They do, and disappear, but the reflection shows the are now on the other side.

 

The other kids are a little harder, since they have nowhere to go, and once the wards are removed they have vague memories, a failsafe in case slaves are "rescued" so they can't lead anyone back.  


Jack asks them what they want, a home, a family, or just a safe place until they're old enough?  


The wind spirits help lead these kids through the snow gates, some to new pre-checked home Jack has set up, other to communities of runaways he has rescued.  


That leaves the adults.  


The Nun is the easiest, he sends her to a catholic church that can help her home.  


The Princess is harder, he can't just drop her at an embassy, she's high profile, the spirits will notice. He sets her gate in a mountain resort, where it appears she has "fled" from a winter monster.  


That resort was low of recent Yeti sightings anyway.  


And an adult slave Jack bought for no reason at all can easily escape and he not bother to catch.  


It feeds into his "i'm rich enough to do what I want" image.  


That leaves the Maori.  


Very good, use your reputation as a shield  


Jack speaks softly to Bunny, explaining that he really would love to send him right back home, but it's out of season in that part of the world. And if he flew him there Bunny would rip his head off as soon as they set down.  


They are not on good terms.  


But Jack knows a few mermaids who could safely steer a boat towards the island, if that's okay.  


Bunny tries very hard to maintain his cover, he is completely lost, and the extra wards on him from his last attempt at attacking are keeping him well restrained. Jack chuckles to himself, saying "yeah, sorry, probably don't understand me" then throws the snowball and leads Bunny through the gate.  


They are on a glacier near Alaska, jack flags down some selkies and asks to borrow a native kiyak. They agree and also agree to take Bunny as far as the mermaid outpost Jack set up.  


Jack removes Bunny's wards and says goodbye, knowing the slave won't hear.  


Bunny though, can see Jack perfectly well, and knows Jack watches him until the kayak is out of sight.  


At the transfer Bunny recognizes some mermaids in the pod and asks them if they wouldn't mind giving him a ride to Sandy's island.  


Shifting back to himself.  


At least he has intel.  


No real backtracking in his plan, instead of capturing his buyer and interrogating them he found out Jack is not only an ally, but the biggest spender.  


It only really becomes an issue after Bunny has tried to infiltrate the auction, but Jack keeps RESCUING HIM!  


He can't get close to the other buyers because Jack picks him every time, no matter what shape or form he's in, Jack zeroes in on him.  


High end, cheap, damaged, slave for sex, slave for sacrifice, slave for manual labor, slave with divine blessing, slave with royal blood, Jack picks him. Every. Time.  


Bunny is one frustrated pooka.

 

Bunny was just rescued by Jack, AGAIN, this time disguised as a female pleasure slave. The spring spirit Jack outbid was NOT happy, also she was one of Aster's underlings, someone Aster actually rather liked. So he's doubly pissed.

  


Bunny really wanted to confront her over her buying using human sex slaves.

  


He'll have to corner her later.  


As Bunny throws himself on North's couch, still in his sex slave outfit, which looks ridiculous on a Pooka, Tooth suggests they just bring Jack in on the sting, since Jack is obviously on their side.  


Bunny shoots that down, loudly, with bared teeth And swears.  


Everyone is both frustrated and amused.  


Frustrated they are no closer to shutting this down, but if Jack constantly saving Bunny isn't the funniest damn thing they've seen in awhile.  


It's fucking hilarious, is what it is  


So, they convince Bunny that Jack is best kept IN the loop, instead of out of it.  


The plan: if Jack buys Bunny again this time, it's like he can fucking SENSE him, then Bunny proceeds with his trap and transport task. They bring Jack in, same as if he were any other buyer. Only instead of interrogating him, they recruit him, if only to get him to stop being Aster's knight in frost glittered armor  


Victorya: Such a pretty, pretty knight, tho  


This time Aster goes all out, huge bodybuilder Australian aboriginal, lots of tattoos, big flat nose, over six foot, skin and black and rich as forest soil.  


Bunny was going for "intimidating"  


He works a fishing boat off the coast right before sunset, knowing the spirits can't refuse someone "touched by magic" on the edge of twilight.  


He puts up a fight as he's taken, keeping up his role, and fights his wards every chance he gets.  


Everyone finds him interesting, but again his being from Bunny's continent makes him too dangerous.  


Bunny wants to be bought by the big burly warrior spirit who runs a deathmatch game with his slaves for entertainment.  


He knows the show of strength will tempt the warrior to consider him over the threat of, well, HIM.  


Unfortunately Bunny is almost immediately taken off the sales floor and to a private room where a group of spirits and deities are drinking and talking.  


Jack is there, dressed like an 19th century mountain climber, complete with goggles on top of his head.  


He turns to Bunny and his eyes light up, actually flare bright blue, and Bunny thinks FUUUUUUuuuck. He caught Jack's interest AGAIN. How? Why? He reeeeaaally doesn't want to have to work with Jack.  


The attendant doesn't waste any time, just brings him straight to Jack. He hands Jack a scroll with wax seal that resonates magic, and then hands the secondary section of the warding to him, saying "compliments of the owner. Stolen from Bunnymund's Australia. He hopes you find it to your liking."  


Jack tells the attendant to thank his gracious host for the thoughtful gift.  


The scroll is an invitation to a VIP meeting within it is also an obedience ward, for particularly aggressive slaves.  


Jack places it on Bunny, and has him sit at his feet for the duration of the private auction.  


The obedience ward is VERY difficult to create, so its VERY attention grabbing that not only has a valuable fighting slave, one taken from a high risk location, been given away as a GIFT, but also been given complete obedience so as to pose no threat to the new master.  


That's like giving Jack a giant shark tank in a swimming pool and told he could cuddle it.  


Bunny's so pissed the fuck off because  
1) fucking obedience ward?  
2) Jack is infinitely closer to being able to shut this whole thing down, farther than Bunny could have ever gotten on his own,

It's so worse because Jack can't set him free  


This was a gift, it would be rude not to show it off  


Jack assumes, accurately, that this slave was meant to be flaunted.  


It hits damn near every one of his attractions, big, muscular male  


Which means someone took a peek at his internal kinklist,  which is difficult and expensive.  


Few love/lust spirits do their work on other spirits, retaliation being a big thing.  


He was also taken from Australia, so nudge at Bunnymund, which means the owner is courting Jack's favor by taking a shot at one of his enemies.  


The obedience ward was the big tip off though, it's too valuable and costly an item to just give away, they wanted to give Jack a powerful slave, one that would be highly prized in any fighting arena, a strong warrior, but also ensure that Jack was not endangered by the gift.  


Had it been a slave intended for Jack, a centuries old cannibal spirit, to eat than Bunny would have been a challenge, a fun game.  The obedience ward would have been wasteful on food, and insulting. Jack is strong enough to hunt for his food.  


This means the ward, and slave, are meant to be on display, as a sign of favor from the auction house.  


Bunnymund waits with the other slaves to be set free by Jack, but when Jack gets to him he apologizes. Bunny is standing, very impatient, tapping his foot waiting to be released so he can open a tunnel and the yeti can stuff Jack in a sack and bring him to the Pole, and Jack smiles sadly and says Sorry, but you'll need to stay with me just a little longer.  


And Bunny is screaming inside  


 So, Jack builds Bunny an igloo to sleep in, and finds him some food, and cold weather clothes because he's in a shirt and jeans. And tells Bunny to just lay down. He'd be fine, Jack isn't going to let anything happen to him.  


Bunny is, mentally, swearing up a storm.  


He wants to strangle Jack  


And no one but Aster even knows where Jack's lake is. Minor detail Bunny just now realizes he overlooked in his tales to them.  


So Bunny is commanded to sleep, in a house made of ice, while his fellow guardians are waiting for him to open a tunnel and deliver either Jack or another buyer.  


Jack meanwhile is over in the forest digging through the snow for his squirreled away notebooks on his infiltration.  


He brings them, plus his few magical tools, out and starts studying the scroll he was given.  


He sketches out the image of the wax seal he had made a quick ice copy of before opening it, and studies his copy.  


He recognizes the symbol as a spinning wheel, and quickly starts to jot down notes, including all the myths and legends involving such wheels.  


After that he turns to the invitation, noting down the wording and the magical properties of the scroll.  


Jack finishes up his notes, goes to check on Bunny, then climbs his tree and sleeps.

  


~*~

 

  


The next morning he has breakfast from his foodstores, which is basically an old refrigerator used to keep food from freezing.  


Bunny eats candied fruits, nuts, and bread.  


Then Jack asks if Bunny wants to stay in the igloo or travel with Jack.  


Bunny says travel. Curtly. Jack forces a smile and says they'll work on figuring out some free will with that obedience ward.  


Jack summons a snowball and blows on it, saying "normally I would just fly, but since you're coming we'll go this way."  


Then he tosses the blue snowball, which poofs into a flurry and Bunny has the same twisting stomach drop feeling as North's snow globes.  


As he lands in a snowbank he realizes Jack has the NATURAL ability that North created through snowglobe portal.  


Jack helps Bunny up, saying it's rough the first time, but at least you always have something soft to land on.  


Jack and Bunny are at the Colonial Glacier, specifically Paul Bunyans Stump  


There they hike to the peak, where Jack meets with a wind spirit.  


The Wind Spirit, a horse descendant of Boreas now living as a Mustang god in America, greets Jack with a nod and a stomp of his foot.  


Jack pulls a piece of paper from his bag with the sketch of the strange spinning wheel on it, and asks if the horse spirit could help him with any spinning and/or weaving legends from that section of the ancient world.  


The horse spirit nods again, and as it stomps out a rhythm in the ice images form. Jack touches them, and they turn into a scroll, much larger and more formal than the invitation, with ice dowels on each end.  


Jack thanks the spirit and he and Bunny trek back down.  


Jack asks if Bunny is ready for another trip? Bunny is very confused, and very much not ready but he agrees with a nod.  


They travel to Organ, to the Three Sisters mountains.  


Bunny knew these volcano spirits, and is surprised Jack does too, they didn't care for winter spirits (then again, it was an ice age last he spoke with them)  


North Sister is long gone, and Middle Sister is Sleeping, but South Sister is awake and wandering her mountain, birdwatching. She greets Jack warmly.  


Jack asks how her schedule is coming, and she says it's all coming together nicely, and that she hopes she can manage to have everything ready during Winter so Jack can see the eruption. It's a once in a millennia sighting. Jack declares he wouldn't miss it.  


She turns to greet Bunny, but stops, staring hard at the Cavansite around his throat.  


Suddenly cool, she asks Jack what he's up to.  


“Oh, you know, just sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, toppling regimes, destroying infrastructure, dismantling a slave trafficking organization.The usual mid January. Gotta celebrate Mr. Luther King Jr. Day somehow.”  


Jack says he needs help, from old spirits, ones he can trust. He needs to know who, to her knowledge, uses a spinning wheel, or weaving, as a symbol.  


South Sister thinks, “weaving is important to American tribesman, but no spirit has taken the European spinning wheel as a symbol. Though a few have adopted the European loom.”  


She touches a rock and it melts into Lava, then starts doodling on it with her finger.  


She blows on it, and hands the steaming stone plate to Jack. Stating that these were the spirits in her region with weaving legends, and a few from other myths she's heard.  


Jack tucks it under his arm and thanks her, saying goodbye.  


They do this with many other spirits, many of whom are barely civil to Jack, others who clearly hate him.  


But everyone gives him a list, likely because they know he's a wealthy, powerful cannibal spirit.  


Unlike with South Jack does not tease or hint to his reasons for asking, and Aster's presence at his side is rarely questioned, showing many of them likely participate in the slave trade Or know of it.  


Finally they return home and Jack pulls out food for Aster, though he doesn't eat himself, just opens another old refrigerator buried in the snow and pulls out notebooks, beginning to match the lists given him to the one he's already written, and filling in the missing ones.  


Bunny reads over Jack's shoulder, some of the spirits are only loosely related to spinning wool, others simply use string or thread for non weaving reasons, Jack is leaving no stone unturned.  


Jack sends him to sleep as he still sits, studying the invitation.  


Luckily he didn't say sleep. So Bunny is able to lay in the igloo and thing on what happened today. The way Jack presented himself to the spirits, respectful and kind to the Mustang, friendly and playful to South, was so different to how he showed himself to the others, self assured and mildly threatening.  


The other spirits also were openly hostile to Jack, unlike in the Auction house where they at least attempt to be civil,  


This means the Auction house has some kind of rule against onsite fighting, or at least the others don't want Jack targeting them for his bidding pranks.  


But outside they drop all pretenses, so they obviously have no desire to court Jacks favor.  


Bunny realizes he has no knowledge at all of Jack's place in the spiritual hierarchy, or his relationship with other beings. Bunny also worries about his fellow guardians and how they are reacting to his absence.  


He reaches up to touch the obedience ward, which halts him within inches of it, like a self defense trigger.  


He closes his eyes and tries to reach for his earth and stone abilities, but can barely tap into it. None of the previous wards were that effective. He then changed tactics and touched the one on his wrist, and felt a warm pulse.  


He studies it, recognizing it as Moss Agate, the stone of New Beginnings. He starts laughing, first because WOW a stone used to increase fertility in crops and inspire hopefulness is used to bind HIM, but also because he can USE this.  


He's noticed in his last attempts that the stones are alive, like little forest spirits. Bunnymund knows the stone is blocking his earth and plant abilities, but it's also feeding off his energy.  


And though the Moss Agate and cavansite both bind him, they don't block his shapeshifting ability, since that's a physical, not magical, ability, and not something written into their task.  


So Bunny, carefully, shifts his magical core, so that what the Wards are feeding off of are not his physical stockpile of energy like any mortal, but his magical energy as a guardian of hope.  


These wards are not made to feed off magic, as their existence is written in the spell cast on them, so feeding on his magic should, in theory, slowly erode the spell and turn them into his own golems, just like making a googie or a giant egg sentry.  


Also, by focusing on only good emotions the stones will stop attempting to suppress and repel negative energy and work towards their other properties, like prosperity and luck. With the strength they have, able to shut a powerful spirit like him down, they could be useful as protective talismans.  


Which slightly backfires since they both are relationship builders that basically are made to stockholm sydrome the slaves into their new roles, So yes Bunnymund has turned his shackles into good luck charms, but those charms are focusing very hard on his relationship with Jack.

  
It doesn't help that Bunny has no control over Jack's sister ward, who is outside his sphere of influence.  


Bunny fades into sleep brooding on how everyone, even the stones, want him to be friendly with Jack Frost.

*~*

 

Bunny wakes up and leaves the igloo, exploring his new limited freedom, now that the wards aren't working to keep him from attacking he isn't as bound to not do anything until commanded.  


Jack is curled in the snow, sleeping. Everything is put away except the pile of lists they got from the spirits  


Bunny picks through them, reading over the names, some vague outlines of the legends, and a few fairy tales.  
He knows a lot of these legends, knows most of the spirits and gods too, and makes mental notes of which ones are more likely to be tied to the wax seal.  


Bunny then starts exploring the area around the lake, he doesn't go near the houses, but wanders the trees. It's weird not being about to sense them or the ground. Like walking on quicksand.  


He heard Jack calling, and walks back, finding Jack looking around frantically. The food store is open and there is a handful of fruits and nuts spilled in front of the igloo. Like Jack dropped them in surprise when he saw Bunny wasn't there.  


Jack is very relieved to see him, and then embarrassed, running a hand through his hair apologizing, saying he doesn't even know Bunny's name.  


Bunnymund introduces himself a Eumundi, which isn't exactly a lie, and Jack smiles really big and says, pleased to meet you, I'm Jack Frost, And Jack is radiating joy, wow someone sees him and is talking to him. Best thing ever, but it crashes quickly because Eumundi is a slave and this is all against his will.  


So Jack goes from big bright smile to sad in two seconds and Bunnymund is so confused.  


They eat breakfast and Jack asks him again if he wants to go or stay. Bunny is able to speak a little more, saying he'll follow Jack, and this progress makes Jack happier, but his smile is still sad.  


This time Jack takes them to Craters of the Moon national park. Jack takes Bunny into several caves filled with ice. Jack tells him to wait at certain caves, and crawls through tiny spaces in the ice, returning with small leather wrapped packages.  


After several hours of this they sit for lunch in a cave with a sunroof, and Jack opens the leather bundles, revealing paintings, tapestries, and other scrolls. More bundles hold small tools and earthen pots.  


Jack pulls out the invitation from his hoodie pocket. Some of the tools start glowing.  


Jack picks up a paintbrush from the tools and opens a pot of oil, carefully consulting what looks like ancient cave paintings on one strip of leather Jack carefully strokes the brush across a section of the invitation.  


The oil begins to harden into a waxy layer, then freeze and glow blue. Jack peels it off like rubber and sets it aside, then does this with two other small sections of the invitation.  


Once that's done he sets the invitation on the tapestry and dumps some smooth stones, beads, seashells, and bones from another clay pot.  


He reads over a very worn looking scroll, then studies the objects on the invitation. He pulls out a little notebook and starts wringing.  


Bunny realizes Jack is studying the spell on the invitation.  


Jack runs through a few other tests before he sets the invitation aside and cleans up his items, rolling them all back up. He leaves Bunny with only the strips of frozen oil, saying he'll be back, then hikes out, presumably to return his leather bundles.  


Bunny takes this chance to study his own bindings, the obedience ward still won't let him touch it, but the Moss Agate is warm and responds to him, though its not won over yet.  


He walks around the cave, testing his earth sense. He can feel a little, like walking when your legs are asleep. He tries to open a tunnel but nothing happens.  


Accepting that it will take time he walks back to study the strips of oil.He sniffs the strips, but his human nose can only tell that it's a mineral oil.

 

When Jack return he and Bunny head back to the lake. School is out, and there are kids everywhere in the park, skating on the lake and playing in the snow. The igloo is crushed, but nothing was in there but a blanket.  


Bunny stays back by the rocks while Jack walks to the lake, giving it a knock with his staff that thickens the ice and gives it a smooth shine.  


Jack then return to Bunny's side and asks if he wants to clean up and change before the VIP auction tonight.  


They head to a local gym where Jack opens a few lockers and pulls out several outfits. He hands Bunny some jeans, boots, a sweater, and a bomber jacket, tHen jokingly puts a cowboy hat on his head  


Jack choses a simple wool shirt and leather pants for himself, with moccasins and fur lined cape.  


He jokes that they're going to play cowboys and indians tonight.  


Bunny is not amused.  


Then jack tugs him towards the showers  
just chatting away (babbling because now he has someone to talk to) and Bunny is internally panicking  


Jack takes the clothes from Bunny and sets them on a bench with his own, and tells Bunny to get undressed, starting to take his own clothes off, and the obedience ward makes him do it, but Bunny is just STARING at Jack the whole time.  


Because being naked for him is fine, but Jack being naked is not a thing he's ever thought about until this moment.  


And Jack being naked in a room by themselves is not something he really WANTS to think about.  


Because thinking about that makes blood go south. He is a perfectly functioning fertility spirit. When anything remotely related to desire comes up he reacts to it.  


It's like sticking Jack near a snowstorm and not expecting him to think about it.  


Jack, for his part, is oblivious. Prattling on about how grouchy and stuck up the other VIPs are, but not to let them get to you because they're cowards who don't like confrontation.  


 The water is cold at first, because Jack doesn't think to turn it on warm, and Bunny reflexively jerks and twists the knob over as far as it will go. Jack laughs, and says Sorry.  


He dumps a big glop of soap in his hand from the wall dispenser and Bunny jerks violently when Jack touches his arm. Jack rears back, startled, then closes off, remembering that Eumundi is a slave, not his friend, and apologizes again.  


He instructs Bunny to wash up, and focuses on bathing himself.  


And Bunny feels like shit, but he's trying not to think about Naked Jack while a Naked Jack is right next to him.  


And Naked Jack just fucking TOUCHED HIM.  


And he really couldn't help it.  


Jack doesn't really feel That way about Eumundi. Jack's operating under the assumption that Bunny will remember none of this once the wards are off. He's attractive, but Jack is in love with someone else.  


Jack honestly isn't thinking about anything but a shower right now, so, slightly cowed by the rejection, Jack continues talking as he bathes.  


After they are done, Bunny wanting very much to bash his head against the wall until he's unconscious, they dress and head out.  


Bunny is astonished the clothes fit him, but Jack explains that people abandon things in those lockers all the time, so he has a pile of clothes in every size.  


Jack teasingly flirts, saying he looks good in blue jeans.  


Bunnymund can only stare, shocked.  


Jack feels awkward again. He really, REALLY has no idea how to talk to people. Obviously watching others communicate is not good enough. And all his interactions with spirits save a handful is antagonistic.  


  
Communication Errors: the Fic

  
Bunny is very much considering what he's going to do when he breaks these wards, because working with Jack Frost suddenly looks much more appealing. Jack is surprisingly adorable breaking all of Bunny's preconceived notions  


They head to the location of the VIP auction, the auction house moves every time so it's hard to track down, Jack uses the winds and storms to find it, which is why he never misses one.  


This was invitation only, and Jack hands his over to the fire spirit, who burns it as they enter. The flames glow green, indicating a valid invitation.  


They are admitted to a spacious room with drinks and food.  


Jack makes his rounds, greeting other VIPs Smarmy assholes of the spirit world. They size up Eumundi, still wearing his obedience ward, dressed like a modern day rancher.Complete with boots and rodeo belt buckle.  


Jack teases that Eumundi is so much FUN.  


Bunnymund sees the spring spirit he knows again, she approaches Jack smoothly, touching his arm and laughing. Isn't it so much more enjoyable to get some USE out of a slave before he eats them?  


Jack says he doesn't see how much USE he can get out of a slave, unlike some people he can get a mate without buying one.  


But Eumundi is very aggressive when the obedience ward is removed. Jack can appreciate a rough lover.  


Bunny flashes her a toothy grin, and follows Jack to the next group. Happily watching Jack humiliate, undermine, or otherwise unbalance every person there.

  
If nothing else, it's gotta be satisfying to watch  


As the auction begins Jack has Bunny sit in the chair, instead of at his feet, the curls himself into Bunny's lap.  


Bunny's going to have a goddamn heart attack  


It further cements Jack's comfort and appreciation for his gift. Jack is well known to ice people for just touching his shoulder, so Jack lounging with Eumundi like lovers is shocking to the group.  


The attendants are very pleased, there is just this big weightless relief everywhere, obviously there was a lot of pressure to please Jack.  


As the Auction starts and the slaves are brought out onto display Jack discovers why this is exclusive. The slaves aren't human.  


Each one is of their world, sprites, fae, an ice cannibal, Jack sees a yeti among them, causing quite a stir among guests.  


Dahut, celtic goddess of earthly pleasures, leans across Rig (Hiemdall in disguise) creator of serfs and father of Thrall the first Norse slave and originator of the viking social hierarchy. She grabs Jack's arm and, excited, points to a Cyprian Centaur, marked by his horns. She exclaims that wouldn't he look perfect among the American Mustang herds?  


Jack says he already has a child of Boreas, he doesn't need the seed of Zeus.  
  
He does like the look of the cockatrice.  


He speaks a little more with Rig and Dahut, then turns to the spring spirit who he humiliated earlier and remarks that the satyr was right up her alley.  


She snaps that the Yeti was probably up his.  


He laughs and says he's enjoying what he has up his alley right now well enough, but a yeti does sound interesting.  


A siren leans over from behind, crossing her arms on Bunny's shoulder to say she'll take his slave when he's done with it. Since he prefers young meat.  


Jack says he'll let her know, but he's enjoying himself, and it would be rude to toss aside a gift from their host.  


Bunny, meanwhile, is very, VERY uncomfortable.  


And aroused.  


This poor man, Sirens whispering next to your ear is not something to underestimate. And Jack in his lap is not helping.  


The spring spirit, a Nymph, questions how such a violent slave who needs an obedience collar could possibly be a good lover, and that Jack probably doesn't know the difference between sex and a fight.  


Jack turns to face her fully, wiggling in Bunny lap, who makes a small noise and Jack stops. Immediately all four lust spirits notice the spike of pheromones.  


The siren laughs throatily. "Looks to me he understand just fine."  


Rig remarks that some people enjoy being bound.  


As the auction begins Jack wins the bids on a pixie, a wendigo, and, much to the Siren and Dahut's dissatisfaction, a mermaid.  


He tosses bids out as pranks, as always, pissing people off.  


He buys the centaur, which lightens Dahut's mood. She's so animated, talking about what he plans that Rig asks if she wants to switch seats.  


The nymph fights him in the bids over the yeti, so after he wins he bids an obscene amount on the satyr and says it's for her.  


Afterward there is more mingling. Jack speaks at some length with Rig and Dahut, the siren wandering off when it was clear Jack wasn't going to humiliate anyone else. Rig invites Jack to scandinavia for a visit sometimes, saying Jack would enjoy the norse gods.  


Jack gives a vague agreement, then says farewell and goes to see an attendant about if his payment being delivered.  


The attendants are in the payment room watching a stormcloud literally rain gold onto the weight.  


Jack 'Moneyman' Frost  


At Jack's inquiry the raincloud dumps the last load into the bucket, and the elf in charge hands Jack the wards to his new slaves.  


As Jack takes them back to the lake he confides in Eumundi that if it wasn't for this slave trade thing he would actually like those three gods.  


It just figured the people he got along with were morally bankrupt. Anyone worth anything would never have anything to do with Jack Frost. And Bunny just, reaches over and hugs Jack  
Which shocks Jack, then embarasses him as he remembers Eumundi's erection during the bidding.  


Jack pulls away, laughing awkwardly, saying it's okay, he's fine, he's used to it. You have to be, after 300 years.Then coughs and turns towards the others, carefully removing each ward, explaining that he could return them home, or they could live in America. They're safe, and they're free, he wasn't going to keep them.  


He recognizes the mermaid, and when he frees her she tells him that they, she and the yeti, were both captured searching for the Easter Bunny. Who had gone missing after attempting to infiltrate the Auction House.  


Jack is struck dumb.  


He sits down, mind blank. Bunny is..?  


He frees the Yeti, who starts ranting at him in yittish, which Jack can't understand  
  
Jack's face goes hard, and he marches over to his refrigerators, taking out the strips of oil, the sketch of the seel, and his list of spirits tied to weaving/spinning wool.  


He brings them to the yeti, telling him this was what he had on the auction house, the oil is a hoodoo carrier oil meant to absorb and enhance spell ingredients. He used it to collect samples of a spelled invitation from the Auction house.  


Then he brings the yeti the the lake and summons a snowball, telling the yeti to give that to the Guardians, and let them know if they need anything from him they can find him here.  


He swears to stop at NOTHING until Bunny is found.  


Then he throws the snowball high and shoves the yeti out onto the ice and through the portal, watching it stumble to the front of the North Pole in the lake.  


He turns and gives his hand to the mermaid, saying he's sorry this happened to her, she has always been kind to him.  


She, weeping, says she's going to find him the biggest sunken ship ever and bury him in gold.  


kisses her hand and carries her to the lake, tossing a snowball high and sliding her into the image of the iceberg waystation.  


After that only the centaur, satyr (which the nymph blatantly refused to accept and stomped off fuming) and the wendigo remain. Jack sets the Wendigo loose in the Rockies, with strict instructions to only eat carrion, no living people only already dead ones.  


The centaur actually tells Jack he would like to stay in America, there are few of his kind left in the world and their island is not safe for him. Jack sends him to the plains, with warning not to fight the other horse spirits.  


The satyr once released blurts that he wants to go to Las Vegas. Jack blinks, then laughs. It's a hard laugh, and it hurts. He laughs until he sobs, and Eumundi is holding him up.  


  
Jack waves them off, then makes a snowball to las vegas, saying "have fun"  


Then he sits on the ground with Eumundi and sobs into his shoulder.  


Bunny, who is struggling against his bindings after they tightened from the hug, focuses on the moss agate, it's almost completely his but stubbornly refuses to release its ties to its sister ward. He takes a deep breath, calming his frustration and anger at how Jack spoke of himself, and his inability to reveal himself to the yeti, and focused on his feelings for Jack, his protectiveness and desire to comfort.  


He's able to struggle out a simply question, and he tips Jack's face up and wipes his tears away. "Why?"  


Jack sobs that he loves Bunny, he didn't mean to love him, Eros caught him with an arrow. He didn't understand, and when he found out he tracked Cupid down to get answers. Cupid admitted he was paid to do it, he was promised a place as a guardian. Understandably upset Jack confronted Bunnymund, thinking he was behind it, but Bunny was in the middle of his Easter runs. He kept blowing Jack off, Jack didn't understand then that Bunny had no idea what he was ranting about, but Jack was upset. He felt violated, and used, and worthless.  


He caused whiteout conditions in the entire New England area and parts of Canada, ruining Easter in that section of the world.  


He and Bunny fought, it was pretty ugly, but after it was over and he was hiding in the Moon Crater caves he realised Bunny provably wasn't behind it, and he had been used against Bunny. A prank? An attack? Who knows, but he couldn't get close enough to Bunny to talk to him after that.  


And Cupid wouldn't speak to him either, claiming Jack ruined his chances to be a Guardian.  


So Jack was in love with someone who hates him, and now Bunny was missing, obviously in trouble, and he didn't know what to do.  
7/30/16, 4:57 PM - rin0rourke: And why should Bunny care if Jack's in love with him? He knows Bunny doesn't care about him, probably believes what every else does, that Jack's evil, a cannibal spirit that eats children, and after Easter was ruined Bunny has no reason to ever speak to him again. Jack really isn't anything special anyway.  


It’s at this point Eumundi pins Jack to the ground and kisses him.

 

And for just a moment Jack kisses back.Then he scrambles away, apologizing. “Sorry I can't I'm so sorry.” And runs off  


Bunny goes over and sits against a tree and just, stares. Out into the night.  


He doesn't care that he's cold. He's thinking back to that Easter, tired, overworked, on the last leg of his run. He's just trying to get from A to B to C as quickly as possible. Its dawn, kids are coming out already, the park events later in the day are fine, but the yard hunts are going to start with no eggs.  


He's racing against the clock, and yes he notices a snow spirit following him, but it's still snowing in some places, it's not unusual for them to be out. It's only as he barely ducks into a tunnel before a snowball pelts him that he realizes the droning in his ears beyond his own pounding heart isn't the sounds of the world, but of someone calling out to him.  


Still, no time to stop and chat, he has googies to hide.  


He spots the sprite again at the next park, searching frantically for him. Guilt, and worry. It could be an emergency.  


He could direct the googies out and stop to ask, just for a second.  


What's wrong, he asks, popping up on a roof right next to the spirit. Is someone hurt?  


"You know very well whats wrong you bastard, you've been avoiding me for hours!"  


"Is. Someone. Hurt?" Bunnymund demands again.  


"Someone will be if you don't fix this right now. What the hell is wrong with you?" Bunnymund struggled to pay attention to the words, but his patience is thin.  


"If it isn't an emergency, it can wait until after Easter". He states curtly, then hops back down his tunnel to the park, surveying the hiding spots for the googs.  


They chose well, but he has to move a few.  


A snowball pelts the back of his head and he turns to glare at his assailant.What did this brat want? Couldn't he see he was busy?  


He pops off, heads to the next spot, a few more hours, just a few more hours, but the sprite is in the next town, and the next. Sometimes bunny is a step ahead, sometimes the boy predicted the wrong place, but eventually it gets harder and harder to outpace him. The kids good at tracking him, zeroing in within minutes.  


Bunny fights against hard winds, trying to get the eggs to cover as the boy lands, breathing heavy. He's shouting, but Bunny can't hear over the wind and his own heartbeat. He just needs a few more hours.  


Then the boy grabs him by the strap to his bandolier and he loses his temper, Bunny shoves the sprite away.  


He's shouting now, he's just trying to do his job, just trying to bring something nice to kids, kids who have had it hard enough with the winter they just suffered through. If a winter spirit like him couldn't understand that then he really had no business being around at all.  


It hurts to remember that. To remember, separated from his temper and self righteousness, those words.Knowing now what Jack was trying so hard to ask him about.  


He can't blame Jack, not anymore, not while remembering the way his face had blanked with shock, and hurt, and grief. He couldn't blame Jack for the storm that must have been a match for everything he was feeling inside him.  


Bunny wrapped his arms around his knees and wallowed in his guilt.  


Jack loved him, against his will, but he loved him. And Aster? How did he feel?  


He studied the Ward on his wrist, tiny marble sized stone on a leather band, and considered everything he knew about Jack now.

 

Bunny thought of Jack, beyond the physical attraction he had, thought of his courage and his kindness, the gentle way he reassured those he rescued, the thoughtful care he put into bringing them home, even if home was someplace they had never known before.  


The way Jack had seen good qualities in the people he was trying to fight against, and the dogged, tireless way he searched for answers. His ingenuity, creativeness, and quick thinking. Most importantly, the way he treated the slave he thought of as Eumundi.  


How he reassured, at every opportunity, the man he was using, spoke to him, joked with him, shared his thoughts even though being alone so long made doing so difficult. Bunny knew, he had spent his life in solitude once.  


He knew what it was like to make social blunders and struggle with when to share his thoughts and when not to, but Jack didn't react with temper, Jack was understanding of boundaries and the comfort of those around him.  


He didn't make excuses or demand explanation, if Bunny had shown any sign of unease Jack had stepped back, even if that unease had not been towards him.  


Did he love Jack? No, but he felt for him.  


And he knew that he could, if he wanted to, fall in love with Jack.  


And that was something denied to Jack, the joy of falling in love. Of knowing, and understanding the person you loved, respecting them, cherishing them.  


Jack loved Bunny, but it was an empty hollow love, an obsessive love, with no substance to it. A love Jack couldn't move on from or pursue.  


Bunny was angry and sad and hurt all at once.  


He wanted to convince Jack that he was someone Jack could love, and that Jack, too, was worthy of love.  


But any true love would be tainted by that hollow love. Did Jack truly love him? Could he? He knew he could fall for Jack, but without Cupid's arrow could Jack fall for him?  


He touched the ward on his hand, and knew he could only hope.  


*~*

 

Jack returns, he's obviously been crying but he offers Bunny a smile.  


He apologizes for running off, and starts pulling food out of the fridge. They didn't eat much at the Auction House, Bunny notices that Jack rarely eats.  


He goes over to help, picking up the cloth napkin Jack uses to hold the fruits and nuts.  


Jack smiles at him and starts loading it up. But when they sit to eat Jack only picks at his, one or two pieces, while he builds the igloo back up.  


Once the shelter is finished Jack starts to say Eumundi should rest, then stops, and apologizes again. He says he'd been trying so very hard not to say anything that could be an order, he doesn't want Eumundi to be compelled by the obedience ward.  


He knows he has slipped up, said things offhand or while distracted, and he's sorry for his orders while at the Auction.  


He asks Eumundi if he's tired, if he wants to sleep. And Bunny puts his hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack, jerks back, startled.  


Bunny holds his hands up, saying it's okay, waiting for Jack to calm down, then he holds out a hand to Jack and say's he'll go to sleep if Jack lays with him. Jack shouldn't sleep in the snow.  


Jack is staring at him, eyes wide, then curls in on himself, saying he already told Eumundi he was in love with someone. Bunny reassures Jack that he won't do anything, they don't have to touch at all, but Jack shouldn't sleep outside just because he's made it awkward.  


Jack laughs harshly, telling Bunny that it was awkward from the start. But he stares and Eumundi's hand, then takes it.  


It's very strange, sharing the igloo with someone. Jack is fine in the snow but sometimes he likes a shelter from other spirits, especially close to spring and Autumn.  


Bunny lays down first, to help Jack relax, he tucks himself against the far side. Jack is nervously standing there, watching Eumundi watch him. Then he sags and kneels down next to him. He carefully asks if this is alright, and Bunny nods, then Jack lays down beside him, placing his head on Eumundi's shoulder.  


Bunny sighs, and wraps an arm around Jack. Jack notices the Moss Agate on Bunny's wrist, and reaches out to touch it. He curls himself against Bunny tighter, saying he can't stand himself. He knows he should take this off, take both off and let Eumundi go. But he's afraid.  


Afraid because he knows as soon as he takes it off Eumundi will forget. Jack will be invisible, and all of this will just be a vague, quickly fading dream.  


Bunny turns and tucks Jack's head under his chin, saying it's a good dream.  


Jack asks if Eumundi wants him to set him free.  


Bunny says that it can wait a little longer. The wards are almost his anyway, and the next time he sees one of the guardians or the yeti he can tell them who he is.  


But if he goes back to being Bunnymund he'll only hurt Jack.  


Plus he's so much closer to the source of this slave trade as Jack's favourite slave than he was as a Guardian. Bunny understands the importance of taking down this auction. If he served a better chance with the guardians he wouldn't risk it for more time with Jack. It would hurt to leave him, but Bunny is Hope for a reason, he would find Jack and clear the air.

 

He still intends to do just that when this is over. But Jack's emotions are too raw right now, he won't abandon him.  


The next few days they don't stray far from the lake, as Jack told the Yeti that the Guardians could find him here. Bunny learns the names of the local children Jack points out to him, and watches as Jack plays with them even while invisible.  


They take sides in a snowball fight, first sitting on the sidelines watching and cheering, but when Jack solidifies Jamie's failing snow fort Bunny accuses him of cheating and they end up participating.  


After they lay with the other fallen, the war was brutal, mass casualties, no survivors. Jack and Eumundi, breathless, collapse next to each other laughing.  


Then the kids are called inside and they are left in the twilight watching the streetlight and stars wink on.  


The moon isn't up yet, and Bunny wonders what MiM would think if he knew he was falling in love with Jack Frost, child eater. And realizes MiM wouldn't believe Jack capable of such a thing two minutes in the same room together. Only Bunny was so blind.  


Jack radiates joy, Bunny can taste the magic in the air as one tastes the scent of food. He rolls over and watches Jack, who's just staring up at the stars looking content, and he wishes he could lean over a kiss him.  


Instead he settles for playing with Jack's hair, brushing it off his forehead. It's soft, and glittery, like spider silk. Jack huffs a laugh and closes his eyes, letting Bunny run his fingers through his hair.  


Then the a burst of wind kicks a whorl of snow around them and Jack bolts upright.  


The wind spirits have spotted the Auction house setting up shop in Greenland.  


Jack and Bunny hurry to get ready. They shower and dress quickly. Bunny has become attached to his bomber jacket. Jack wears the same Inuit outfit Bunny saw him that first time two months ago, pale white and soft gray fur, and this time as Bunny watches Jack get dressed instead of feeling uneasy at seeing something that looks like him as a coat he's watching Jack's hands smooth over the fur, wonders if Jack enjoys the feel of it against his bare skin.  


Jack notices him watching and blushes, turning away to put on his boots. He's felt awkward showering with Eumundi since the kiss, he knows the man watches him, but he doesn't want to draw attention to it. He doesn't mind it, it's flattering, especially since Eumundi is a pretty prime cut himself. But Jack knows it can't go anywhere, and feels guilty thinking about it. Eumundi will have to be released, and then Jack won't exist in his world any longer.  


His heart hurts, because he loves Bunnymund, who is missing but none of the Guardians have bothered speaking to HIM, and why should they? He's a cannibal spirit after all. But here he is, enjoying the company of a very attractive man, while the one he loves is in danger. Still, he can't bring himself to turn away when Eumundi draws him close at night, or reject his gentle touches. Eumundi said that it was a good dream, so Jack can't deny him, not when he knows they both will eventually wake up.  


So when he sees Eumundi watching him in the shower, or when he feels Eumundi kiss him late at night when he thinks Jack's asleep, all Jack can do is let him.  
just wait.  


They stand by the lake, and Jack takes a deep breath, summoning a snowball. He hesitates, lost in thought, staring at their reflection in the lake ice. He doesn't want to bring Eumundi back there, he wants to protect the man from the other spirits there, wants to keep him safe and far far away from anyone who would hurt him. He's just a human, no matter how strong he is he's no match in a fair fight, and these spirits don't fight fair.  


Sensing his hesitation Bunny reaches over and clasps hands with Jack. Jack jerks, and looks down. Their hands look so strange, his is so white, too white, and cold, and tiny. Eumundi's hand is large and dark and warm. But Eumundi laces their fingers together and pulls their hands to his lips, kissing Jack's knuckles.  


Jack feels his eyes burn, but blinks and freezes the tears.  


No One has ever made him feel cared for.  


Just the simple way Eumundi touches him, absently, thoughtlessly, his shoulder, his hair, his back, makes Jack feel both weightless and grounded.  


It's not fair that the only one to want him is someone he can't have. Jack hates himself for not being able to return those little gestures, to reciprocate that affection. He stares at the obedience ward around Eumundi's neck, the deep blue cavansite that looks so much like a snowflake.  


Like Jack put a collar around him.

 

And he wishes he had the courage to remove it, to believe that Eumundi wouldn't try to fight him or run away. He's so afraid everything is just a product of those ward's calming effects.

  
But isn't it better if it was? Isn't it best that Eumundi's affections aren't real?  


Then Jack can watch him vanish through a portal, back to his own life, back to the waking world, without the guilt of knowing he hurt the man.  


Jack closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, having reached a decision. After tonight he's sending Eumundi home.  


He blows on the snowball and tosses it high, tosses it like he's tossing away his own heart.  


*~*  
  
  
Jack and Eumundi arrive, it is freezing, the wind off the sea is strong and blistering cold.  


Bunnymund has only seen the Auction House from the slaves view, coming in and leaving, but it is lavish, like everyone is attending a court ball. Everyone is dressed to impress. Jack's Inuit clothing looks so mundane against everyone else. They arrive in chariots and flying cars, extravagant carriages and glowing clouds. Dahut arises from the sea in a great wave. There are spring spirits bursting out of the snow in huge flowering trees, and Bunnymund is offended, it is winter, that tree is going to die from shock.  


Bunny feels so underdressed in his scuffed cowboy boots and scarred bomber jacket. The VIP event wasn't this gilded. He figures the VIPs are regulars, and didn't feel like making extra effort among their peers.

 

Jack seems to be the only genuine person here, which is shocking considering his entire persona is a lie.

 

Dahut spots Jack and slides up to him, her dress is seafoam green and shimmers like waves around her. She asks Jack how everything went with his new slaves. He didn't eat them did he? Jack laughs and says he let them loose on America, it's been a fun few days.  


She looks sly, and says she sees he still hasn't eaten THIS slave. Jack grins, "says who? There's more than one way to eat a person."  


They laugh, and Jack waves her off with a "by the way, he's delicious" before entering. Dahut continues around the courtyard, seeing people and being seen.  


Jack normally would mingle as well, rustle some jimmies, but tonight he has a very specific task.  


Before entering the auction house he sends one of the sea winds off to the Pole to search out the yeti he saved, tell him where the Auction house was tonight. If Bunny was inside jack would need help getting him out.  


Jack entered the seemingly simple Roman temple that served as the Auction house.The temple was a plain unadorned rectangle with triangular pediment raised on six columns, four wide and two deep. The tympanum within the pediment did not depict any scenes Jack could make sense of, only the image of three links of a chain.  


Once they past the columns and stepped onto the portico though the simple marble bled into color, with bright paintings, tall statues, and long carpets.  


Attendants open the doors into the cella, where chairs, roman dining couches, and large cushions all were arranged in a semi circle around the center. Where an altar should stand was instead another raised floor, where the slaves were brought out in groups, each one brought forward for bidding.  


Bunny new that the back rooms, ordinarily storage rooms for temple staff, were used for housing the slaves. Unlike the simple rectangular structure suggested it was actually a maze of rooms beyond the side door.  
  
  
They aren't the only ones in the cella. Though most of the crowd is outside making a show of themselves there are a few more intimate groups in conversation. The nymph is speaking with a handful of other plant spirits Bunny recognizes. Jack smiles and waves, but to Bunny mumbles that he really hates that girl.  


Obviously the feeling is mutual, as soon as she sees Jack she looks pissed and turns away.  


Jack moves as close to the service doors as possible, though there are attendants standing beside it. He settles down on a roman dining couch, having Eumundi sit beside him on the floor. An attendant brings refreshments over, and Jack chooses some fresh fruit and cheeses. He studies the room for ideas as he makes a show of petting Eumundi, running his hand through his thick dark hair.  


Jack wonders aloud how he's going to get back there, and Bunny is shocked. He figured Jack would wait for the guardians. He underestimates how highly Jack values Bunny's life over his own. But then, Jack values a Wendigo's life over his own. Jack has exactly zero self worth.

 

He grabs Jack's hand and questions if Jack is going to wait for his friends.Jack laughs softly, saying he has no friends. And the guardians probably see him as a threat. If they even show up they'll surely think it's a trap.But he doesn't think they'll pass up a chance to search for Bunny. They'll take the risk, but it's unlikely they'll get here in time. And once they start fighting the Auction House could vanish.  


He needs to be in those rooms to search for Bunnymund.

 

Bunny still insists it's best to wait, they're inside the cella, if the Auction House transports they'll go with it. Jack says no, very forcefully, suddenly looking very serious at Bunny. He grips Eumundi's shoulders and looks him in the eyes, saying very carefully that when the fighting starts Eumundi has to leave. No matter what.  


Bunny tries to argue but Jack cuts him off with a harsh whisper, saying that it isn't up for debate. And Bunny can feel the power of the obedience ward, Jack stares down at it, then up at Bunny. He says he's sorry, but this once he can't take any risk. This is a command. When the Guardian's attack, Eumundi WILL flee. He will run to the nearest human town and hide there. When Jack comes, he will finally send Eumundi home. If he…  if he doesn't Eumundi has to try to find the Guardians. Jack promises to tell them about him, even if they hate Jack they won't abandon a human.  


But no matter what, Jack promises Eumundi will get home safe.  


Bunny says he wants to stay with Jack, and Jack laughs, but it sounds like a sob. What can Eumundi do? A human against all these spirits? He's strong, yes, but only in the way a very big dog is strong. In the end he's still human, Jack could freeze him in an instant.  


Jack can't risk it. He doesn't want to see Eumundi hurt. Jack isn't worth Eumundi dying for. And Bunny kisses him.  


Its harsh, he pushes Jack back onto the lounge and crawls up with him, and Jack lets him, because he wants this, and because he knows Eumundi needs this.  


Bunny pulls back, and Jack is crying. He feels like shit, but he can't stand Jack saying he's worthless, believing it. He kisses Jack's tears, trying to sooth but also shielding Jack from view, he knows they're being watched, there are other people in the cella still.  


Jack wraps his arms around him, and buries his face in Eumundi's neck, wanting to hang on for just a little longer. He wants to remember what it felt like to be cared for, even for a moment.  


He pushes Bunny back, looking into his eyes, he runs a hand over the side of his face, from his hair to his cheek, then pulls his down for another kiss. Gentle this time, lingering.  


Then he says, against Eumundi's lips, that if Jack had any choice at all he wished he could fall in love with him.  


Bunny is stunned.  


Just then a powerful gust of wind bursts through the door.  


The guests are startled, and the attendants scramble. Jack tells Bunny he'll find him if he can, and bolts from the lounge.  


The wind sends beach sand, papers, and furniture flying. People duck, and do their best to get out of the way.  


Jack shoots ice at it in a lie at attacking it, but once the ice hits the center it bursts into snow, the room goes dark, the torches extinguished. Only the light from the outer doors illuminates the fight against slavers and zephyr

  
In the light Bunny recognizes the spirit as one of the winds Jack uses, a weasel.  


It bursts into a powerful tornado for only a few minutes before tiring out.In the dark the sounds of fighting continue but the wind dies down, and bunny feels something small scramble up onto the couch and into the pocket of his jacket.  


Soon everything is settled and a fire spirit lights one of the lamps.  


The room is a mess, chairs and lounges tossed about, lamp stands toppled, sand and snow coating everything.

 

Everyone gets up from where they were hiding, but Bunny is still on his lounge, just sitting still. The only thing untouched in all the chaos.  


But Jack is missing.  


Bunny looks frantically around, there are attendants and security searching for the wind spirit, and other guests are trying to look inside.  


Some attendants start ushering the few people in the cella out, including Bunny, but Jack told him to stay there.The attendants are understanding, but he still has to move. He explains that Jack attacked the wind spirit before everything went out.  


They all decide that Jack must have transported it away, the snow is similar to Jack's traveling powers. And Jack knows wind spirits best.  


The other spirits are causing a fuss, and the attendants are trying to calm everyone.  


The nymph is demanding how a wild wind spirit even got past security. She is making a very big fuss.  


Everyone is encouraged to wait in the courtyard while the room is set to rights.  


Bunny's lounge is picked up and carried out to the portica like 's luggage, since his master ordered him to stay.  


Everyone kind of ignores him, they are all complaining that the room is a mess and sand and snow is everywhere.  


Bunny isn't used to being ignored, so it's strange, standing in front of all these spirits he knows and them not making a big deal out of it.  


The other spirits are complaining that Jack left snow everywhere and now everything will be wet and it'll be harder to clean up the sand.  


Bunny is irritated at them. He's staring down at the Moss Agate on his wrist, and thinking of how Jack doesn't even think much of himself, and how could he when everyone thinks so little of him?  


He understands Jack's ruse, pretending to be an evil spirit, but even the other spirits who should enjoy his company seem to loath him.  


Bunny isn't surprised at all that Jack formed an attachment to someone who was kind to him. Had anyone else ever treated him well? He recalls South Sister's friendliness, and the mermaids. Jack must have some friends, surely? But still, Jack said he wished.

 

Then it really sinks in, Jack said he wanted to love him. That if he had a choice, he would love him.  


Even though Jack is made to love Bunny, he WANTS to love Eumundi, not knowing they were the same.  


And Bunny realizes he has a chance, he sees now that Jack COULD fall in love with him, even without Cupid's Arrow. And hope blooms in him, bright and warm. And he knows he could love Jack.  


He may already be there.  


Then there's a sonic boom, and a bright light forms in the sky. Bunny KNOWS that sound, and that glittering light. Its North, his sleigh full of Yeti. Tooth flies out beside him, and Sandy flanking the other side.  
  
The crowd recognizes them too, and scatters. The security yell, and run to the portica to defend it, Dahut throws herself back into the sea. A centaur with a ward on his wrist hefts a massive sword and charges, the yeti jump down from the sleigh and bowl through the spirits like a ship through water.  


Bunny stands, watching them, Tooth is a dervish of swords, and Sandy with his whips. The glittering festive crowd is not dressed for battle, though some join the fight, defensive or taking advantage. So many powerful spirits in one place, surely they could take the Guardians.  


Bunny is tense, fighting the command to flee, before he realises there is no compulsion.  


He reaches up and touches the obedience ward, it's just a cool stone against his fingers, no talisman inside it, the magic powering the cavansite is gone. No longer is there a self defensive force holding him back inches from the stone.  


He brings his wrist up to his face, the moss agate is warm, and humming, charged with his own energy.  


He reaches for it with his stone sense, and can feel not only the ward but the stone, and the stones connection to its sister ward.  


Bunny has taken them both.  
  
Now he has a direct line to Jack.  


The power inside them that connects them sings with hope, but not just any hope, the hope of their love. Jack's, and his own.  


Jack's wish for love, his hope to find Bunny, and return safely to Eumundi. To see Eumundi one last time, and send him home safely. To let him keep his good dream, and not end it with sadness.  


Bunny holds the ward to his chest, cradles that hope near his heart.  


He will make sure Jack gets both his wishes.

 

*~*~

 

Standing up Bunny shouts for his fellow guardians, then taps open a tunnel, unleashing his egg golems he runs back into the cella and hits the fire spirit security guard straight off.  


Grabbing the huge metal candelabra he smashes it into the ground, breaking off the end, then uses the circular base as a bludgeon he knocks the fire spirit out into the fight outside, where his golumns make quick work of him. Then he turns towards the attendants straightening up the room, who hold their hands up in surrender.  


Wedging the base of the candelabra under a heavy chest he twists and snaps the stand free, using it now as a staff.  


Tooth flies in first, quickly coming to Bunny's side she throws her arms around him in a hug. She scolds him for worrying them half to death, staying away for over a week with no contact.  


He chuckles, "s'good to see you too sheila"  
  
Then she notices the cavansite and gasps Bunny's name, reaching out to touch it. Bunny grabs her hand, saying its okay, its broken now.  


"Now?" She demands. "Is this why you couldn't contact us?"  


Sandy streams in before he can answer, whips at the ready, seeing only them and huddled servants in the corner he relaxes, then greets Bunny warmly. North follows, seeing Bunny he bellows a laugh, swords held aloft. Now it's a fight!  


No more time for reassurances, Bunny tells them Jack is in the back rooms, searching for, of all things, HIM. And with the Auction House under attack it could teleport Moon knows where.  


North says that the Yeti and golems can hold the doors, they'll find Jack, and free any slaves in the building.  


They break through the doors, weapons at the ready. Its mostly equipment, food, extra chairs and pillows. Several barrels of liquids, each with label in different languages, different time periods.  


It confirms what Bunny had noticed these last two times as a patron, that the owner caters to multiple spirit's particular tastes. Outside of fresh fruits and dessert dishes Jack had never been offered anything more than breads, nuts, cheeses, and preserved meats, winter rations. High quality, but nothing one wouldn't find in a wealthy storehouse.  


The hallway leads to a series of rooms, shotgun style. Each one holding empty cells where the slaves were kept.Certain cells were made for certain spirits, iron, copper, wood, stone, ice.  


Bunny knows that the wards typically kept the slaves in a type of drugged stupor, even he had found it difficult to resist the calming effects of the healing stones.  


The cages were only to further extinguish temptation to escape.  


Each door to the cells was wrenched open by key pressure points of ice at the hinges and lock.  
  
Jack had popped them off like they were tupperware lids  


But if the slaves were free, how come they hadn't seen any fleeing out the door? Jack couldn't know if there was an exit, and there were no telling mounds of snow indicating a portal.  


Jack wouldn't have opened cages with no one inside, unless it was to make those cages useless, but then why not just smash them? Why open them carefully?  


As the go further there are signs of fighting, they pass the baths where the water is frozen into violent spikes. The grooming areas are in tatters, the furniture broken, the products scattered. It's cold enough to see their breaths, the floor is iced and they skid.  


It scares Bunny that he can't hear fighting.  


The weasel climbs out of his pocket and up onto his shoulder, it's grey and white in swirl patterns like the ripple if water, or the wind current of a tornado.  


It's tense and growling.  


They enter a new room, this one holds chains and cages far different than the more comfortable cells before. There are wards scattered around the floor, overturned boxes of charged stones and leather bands.  


Now they could hear the sounds of battle, or rather the sounds of Jack's ice snapping.  


For a moment Bunny thought it was the huge spikes of ice in the room cracking. He knew every room from here to the cella from his time as a slave, but he had no idea where the next rooms will lead.  


At the sound of Jack's cry he burst into a run, the weasel lunging off his shoulder to dart ahead.  


He passed through a shattered door, thick wood and iron bands splintered and pierced with ice. The room was a blur of tools and supplies, mounds of loose stones, jars of ingredients, he passed them all focused on the wind spirit and the pulse of the ward at his wrist. Jack was near, he could hear him now, but it didn't sound like fighting. It sounded like struggle.  


Bunny's anxiety peaked, when he reached the next door he jumped high, kicking it hard enough to send them smacking into the two spirits keeping them up. They had been blasted open with ice as well, but had been propped back into place by an ogre and a wendigo.  


The weasel spirit took point, growling and bristling, Bunny crouched on the toppled door, staff at the ready, breathing hard.  


Bunny surveyed the room. It appeared to be the guest receiving room of someone's personal home, a few comfortable chairs, a coffee table, a couch. But the room was packed with slaves. Humans and spirits alike. All sitting very calmly on the floor.  


The guardians joined Aster, each coming into the room. The two spirits under the door groaned from the weight, but didn't attempt to shove them off.  


From the parts Bunny could see he spotted a ward around the ogres wrist as well. He wondered how many attendants were also slaves.  


Then he heard Jack's voice, high and angry, snarling like the weasel they traveled with. The weasel took off like a bounced ball, hitting the next set of doors with a mini durvish.  


The tornado sent the door blistering out into all directions, and several pained shouts came from the room. Bunny was quickly behind. He hit the doorway and skid to a halt. Within the room was a seemingly ordinary bedchamber, roman in design, but with thicker comfortable mattresses and covers.  


On the bed, pinned by two centaurs, was Jack, struggling violently, and for a moment Bunny's mind went blank with rage. A voice cut through his fogged mind in an instant, the ward on his wrist vibrating so high it could burst.  


"Well, this is a pleasant development."  


Bunny's attention turned to the woman he had not seen, leaning over the bed, partly blocked by a centaur restraining Jack, in her hands he saw an obedience ward, just like what he had around his own neck. And on Jack's wrists were two other wards besides the moss agate.  


But Jack still struggled, his staff lay on the floor but the bed was glittering with ice.  


"I wonder if Jack Frost will struggle so hard against his favourite human?" She laughed, and it was like warm oil over Bunny's skin. He realized then he had never shifted back to his true form.  


"I'll kill him like I killed the others." Jack snarls.

 

“Jack," she said chidingly, "did you think I didn't know you were setting them free? Did you think I don't know the very fabric of your being?"  


"You don't know anything about me lady, except that I'm going to kick your ass."  


"Oh, I know everything about you. We're two sides of the same magic after all."  


And Bunny realizes who he's looking at as she stands and comes around to the front. "Good evening, Guardians of Childhood, welcome so my home."  


North breathes her name. "Neccessity"  


She laughs, tossing her unbound hair. "Goddess of bonds, at your service. Now what can I interest you in? I imagine you three have your fill of servants"  


"We have no servants" Tooth spits.  


"Oh?" Ananke points to Tooth, "Clones with no will or mind of their own" then to North "a colony of elves and yeti catering to your every whim" and sandy "the dreams of children stolen from their heads to power your sand creatures. What is that if not servitude?"  


"They have a choice!" North objects."  


"What choice?" She laughs. "There is no such thing. Work for you or return to the wilds? To nonexistence? What choice is that?"  


"Where’s Bunny?" Jack snarls, wrenching his arm from a centaur and flinging ice at her, but the ward steals his power and only glittering frost puffs into the air.  


"The pooka? No idea. Had I known he was infiltrating my home I'd have sold him to a cannibal," she flicks her eyes towards Jack "a real cannibal”

  
"Enough talk." North growls. "Release Jack Frost."  


"Oh dear, see can't do that. I've wanted to get him out of my way for CENTURIES, and here he, marching into my house like he marched into my life, wrecking EVERYTHING."  


"I feel just awful about that." Jack says dryly. "Rescuing slaves is just the worst. Bad me."  


"Slaves?" She laughs again. "You think those human cattle mean anything to me? No, this is just a hobby. Something to pass the time."  


"A hobby?!" Tooth shrieks and lunges forward to strike, but Ananke holds a dagger high over Jack's chest and she halts.  


"Now now." She chides. "While I'd prefer him alive I don't mind one bit removing this abomination from the planet,  


"Jack's no abomination." Bunny growls, and she focuses on him again for the first time since they entered.  


"He exists outside of order, outside of rules. I don't expect a human to understand, but surely the rest if you do?" She lowers the dagger until the point is pressed to Jack's fur coat. "He's the only thing not bound by Necessity."  


"What are you talking about?" Jack snarls.  


"You died Jack," Jack's eyes widen in shock, "but you didn't pass on. You became a winter spirit, but your heart never froze. You have no belief base, no ties to power or religion, but you never fade."  


"You eat but you cannot starve, sleep but you have no need, you exist without bonds, without restraints, and that cannot be allowed."  


"You hate me because you have no power over me?" Jack demands. "Lady you have control issues."  


"I AM NECESSITY!" She screams and stabs the dagger into the bed beside him, "I am the rule all things must obey. The law of the universe. The spinner of thread that the fates cut and measure. All are bound to me! All belong to me!"  


"But you!" She says harshly. "You are bound by nothing. Every shackle I put on you you slip free of. Your solitude, your fears, your season, you love."  


"What?" Bunny demands But ananke is focused on Jack. Sandy is looking worried, the spirits and humans behind them are pressing closer.  


"I even sent Eros to shoot you with his arrow, but you slipped free on that!"  


"It was you?!" Jack lunged up, the centaurs holding him down strained as Jack tried to reach her. "You sent Eros? You forced me to-"  


"Oh you were always fated to love." She snapped. "But you, fool that you are, let it slip you by year after year. I grew tired of waiting, I should have known better than to HOPE, of course you'd ruin it. You RUIN EVERYTHING!"  


"I should have had a choice!"  


"Choice is an illusion! No one is free to choose, no one is free at all!"  


"I don't believe that."  


"Oh of course you don't. You're the only one in the universe not bound to anything, you have no idea what it's like for the rest of us."  


"The rest of us?" Bunny demands. "You enslave people and sell them like cattle, and you're comparing yourself to them?"  


"Enslave? I simply supply the market. True at times I poach from other gods, but everyone who passes through this auction was a slave already, to religion, to superstition, to their own beliefs, their mortal needs." She moves to the front of the bed, holding the dagger to Eumundi like a teacher with a ruler. "Am I not kinder? I allow them to roam free, enjoying the wilds, their illusion of freedom, before harvesting them. They do not grow in a temple or monastery, raised like sacrificial tributes. You could say I raise free range humans." Her laugh slimes over his skin again and she touches the knife to the ward at his neck.  


"Now, you, my windfall boy, will take this ward and put it around your dear master's neck while the Guardians," she turns to them.  


"If you think we'll watch while you control our friend you're very very stupid." Tooth hisses at her.  


"Watch? You'll be too busy to watch." Ananke smiles. "Playing with my pets."  


The guardians turn, and the spirit slaves are at their backs. "I'll be kind and keep the humans back. At least until you're too tired. I'd hate to be the reason you break your vow to protect." Her smile is sharp as her knife as she hands Eumundi the ward. "After all, our word is our bond." Then she claps her hands and says "begin"  


The spirits surge forward, and Sandy hits them with balls, some fall but most shake it off. Tooth blocks a swing at her head from an ogre, North grabs the foot of an elf who kicks him. They sheath their weapons, knowing the spirits are being controlled. Now it's a brawl.  


Bunny is glaring at Ananke who continues to dangle the obedience ward in front of him, knife in her other hand.  


"I could taste the lust on you when you came to the private Auction." She says, softly, as if they are not inches from a close quarters battle. "But I know Jack, and I know Eros' power. Jack won't be with you so long as he loves Bunnymund." She touches the knife to her lips as if in thought. "But what use do I have for him really? I would prefer not to kill him, the moment he was created the universe balanced itself, removing him would create a vacuum. Zeus was the only god outside my power before, but even he was easily tied to his lusts. I'll give Jack to you." She says, and places the ward in Bunny's hands. "You can bring him back to the mortal world with you, you'll be the master this time, and no one can take him from you. Bound together, and under my protection."  


Jack watches the exchange with wide terrified eyes, he searches Eumundi's face, shaking his head no.  


Bunny stares at Jack, and smiles.  


Then, using his stone sense, he reaches into the ward and compresses it, shattering it in his hand.  


Ananke stares, shocked, then screeches. "What are you doing? I gave a command!"  


And Bunny reaches up and tears his own ward off. "Ye should practice your skills more, these were poorly made." And breaks that one too.  


Ananke swings at him with the knife, but Bunny blocks with his metal staff. "How dare you, how could you?! You're just a human!"  


"Says who?" He knocks her back and kicks off his boots, flipping one up with a foot and punting it right in her face. Then he shifts, feeling, finally, the rightness of his true form.  


Ananke rubbs her face where the boot scored her, then stares in fear at Bunny looming over her. "You.." she says, then screams and lunges at him with the knife.  


They fight, Bunny obviously more than a match for her, but she's quick and the room isn't quite so big with a dozen people fighting. He spins and cracks a troll over the head, where it falls to the floating sand on the floor and stays there, parries her next strike then kicks a harpy into the wendigo, both toppling to the floor.  


Then Jack screams.  


They all turn to him, fearful of what happened, expecting some terrible blow from Ananke, but Jack is staring stricken at Bunny.  


"We bathed together!" He squeaks.  


The others turn to Bunny, even Ananke seems confused. Bunny just rubs his forefinger and thumb over his eyes then points to Jack saying sternly "Later."  


Ananke, taking her opportunity, darts in for a strike but Bunny easily blocks her and pushes her back.  


Jack turns to the centaur holding him on his right and begs "Please, just kill me."  


The centaur looks understanding, but apologizes. "Necessity said you were to be kept alive."  


"Of course she did." Jack groans, and flops his head back on the bed.  
  
Just then the weasel bounces up, landing on Jack's belly. "Whirlwind!" Jack greets with a smile. The weasel growls it's tiny grown, fur fluffing up, then streaks for the Centaur on his left, who releases Jack to block the vicious toothy attack on his face. Jack, free with one hand, attempts to call TwinTender, but the wards sap his strength.  


The other centaur releases his foot to try to grab Jack's other hand, but that frees up both Jack's feet, and the centaur, big creature that he is, is a perfect target leaning over him. Jack knees him in the back of the head as hard as he can manage, dazing the spirit enough to wiggle away.  


Jack slides across the bed, dodging flailing hooves and crashing bodies of the fight to reach his staff.  


The two centaurs shake off their attack and go after him. He grabs his staff and reaches for something, anything inside him that the wards haven't stolen.  


The green ward on his wrist burns, the sister ward to Eumundi's, to Bunny's, and through that flares a harsh, bright power, its wild and warm and sizzles through him like a bolt of lightning in a stormcloud. He blasts the centaurs with ice, freezing them in place. Then whips around and slams the base of his staff into the ground, blasting everyone in the room.  
  
Jack shudders, clinging to his staff, completely tapped out. He feels hollow, empty, and can feel the dulling effects of the wards stealing away his awareness.  


He no longer has the will or energy to fight the soothing balm smearing across his mind.  


Then warm hands touch his shoulders, even through the coat they burn, he jolts back, arms too heavy to do anything but clutch his staff to his chest. Bunny shushes him gently, gripping his arm with one hand and carefully peeling back Jack's fingers from his staff with the other. Jack doesn't want to give it up, but he has no strength to fight.  


Bunny cradles Jack's hands in his own and stares into Jack's eyes. He asks Jack a question, but Jack can barely hear. All he can do is stare through tired, blurring eyes. It feels like too much energy to blink, but when he does his vision clears and he feels a tear slide down his face. He's crying. In front of Bunny. How perfect.  


Then he remembers Bunny is Eumundi, and despair fills him?  


Bunny slides the wards off Jack's left wrist, then the right, he hesitates at the moss agate, but removes that as well.  


Bunny tells Jack he's going to step away for a moment, very reassuring, soft voice repeating that he's here, Jack is safe. Then Bunny steps over and puts his hands on some ice, Jack realizes he's frozen everything, and everyone, in the room.  


"I'm such an idiot." He curls into himself and buries the heels of his hands into his eyes.  


Bunny is immediately back at his side, pulling his hands away, trying to calm him down, Jack is gasping through his tears and he can't stop. "I froze them I froze everyone."  


Bunny pulls him close, rocking him. He says its okay, its all going to be okay, but how could it? Jack froze them all, even the Guardians, even the humans. He's finally become what everyone said he was. He's a monster.  


Bunny pulls back and very sternly tells Jack that he is NOT a monster, and he did NOT freeze everyone, he captured them in ice, there is a difference. Bunny can feel them, inside the ice, and they are fine. Trapped, and cold, but not in any danger.  


Bunny just needs to make sure they can breathe  


"Oh god" Jack sobs, and Bunny says again that it's not that big of a deal, just give him a moment.  


Then he kisses Jack on the forehead and pulls away.  


Jack sits on the ground, watching Bunny move from ice block to ice block, touching each one. He's almost a blur he moves so fast, or maybe Jack's just that tired.  


He picks his staff up and hugs it to him, trying to ground himself.  


There is only a little more than 50 slaves it doesn't take long before Bunny has them plus the guardians slowly melting, from the air holes out.  


He stands in front on Ananke for a moment, then three, debating freeing her, or enjoying her entrapment. Then he touches her face too, and a hole melts.

  
He goes back to Jack, and carefully scoops him up, sitting him on the bed. He looks so small, Bunny was a large human, he knew Jack was small, but under all those layers of heavy clothes he feels and looks smaller.  


Aster tells Jack that everyone will thaw out in a few minutes, a little chilled but no damage. Jack asks how Bunny knows and Bunny holds a ward Jack recognizes, the Moss Agate is radiating warmth that Jack can feel like sunlight. He reaches out to it and it hums under his touch.  


Then Bunny turns his hand over and shows Jack his own. He explains that the wards drew from Bunny to power Jack's attack, and springtime can't kill, so the attack cushioned the ice with a pocket of snow. Like the kind that shelters new plants in early spring. Or the igloo that Jack built to keep him safe. As Jack touches Bunny's hand they begin to glow a warm dark green.  


Jack pulls back and the glowing slowly fades, he stares at where the obedience ward used to be. Had it all been a trick? he asks. The ward had never worked, Bunny had just pretended.  


Bunny shakes his head no, but says that they needed to talk about it later, right now he needed Jack to help him. He needed Jack to keep everyone safely frozen until he and the other Guardians could remove their wards and transfer them somewhere safe.  


Jack's eyes wheel around the room, landing on Ananke. "It was her." He said hoarsely. "All this time, she was the one who made me.." and he covers his mouth, suddenly ill. He told Bunny that he loved him. He let him…  let him kiss.. and he had wanted it. Had it all been the arrow?

  
Jack kissed Bunny, he CONFESSED to Bunny, he wanted Bunny to touch him, to be INSIDE him. But it was all a trick. A lie to infiltrate the Auction House. He feels just like last time, used, worthless, only something people pick up and play with for their amusement. Has Bunny been laughing at him this whole time? At his worry, his fears, his feelings? Every kiss, every lingering stare or gentle touch, had it all been some horrible joke to amuse Bunny while Jack brought him deeper into the Auction House?  


Bunny can see him panicking, but they don't have TIME to talk this out, everyone is frozen and thawing fast, the yeti and sentries are still outside, probably still fighting, and they needed to get the humans home.  


He grabs Jack's shoulders and hauls him up, speaking very carefully. He needs Jack to keep everyone else frozen while he thaws the other Guardians. They will talk about this later.  


Jack's mind blanks, and he nods.  


Jack grips his staff to him and takes a deep breath, letting it out in a stream of cold fog. He holds very still, concentrating on his connection with the ice. With his eyes closed he can block out everything, the frozen slaves, the guardians, Ananke, and Bunny. Just him and the ice.  


After a moment he feels something warm. Like a strip of sunshine hitting just one part of him. He feels the ice under that warm light melt, and lets it go. The rest of the ice is eager to melt as well. The freezing point and melting point of water is the same, and it loves to go either way. Jack holds it back like a happy eager puppy.

 

Jack feels Bunny melting part of his ice, and lets it go, holding the rest of it back even as it eagerly attempts to drink up the warm magic of spring.  


He tries not to let the feel of Bunny's magic against his own affect him, how warm and inviting it is, how it encourages his own to recede, to go pliant and giving like slush. Spring magic and winter magic is supposed to be mildly compatible, he reminds himself, the same as Autumn. Trees gave way to him. It meant nothing that his ice responded so well to Bunny.  


But bitterness coated his stomach and bile scored acidic tastes in the back of his throat. It took hardly a minute to have the other three guardians free, but every second feeling Bunny's touch was a pain in Jack's heart.  


Then that magic moved, and Bunny, warm green light against the backdrop of Jack's blue ice, knelt down next to him.  


He didn't want to, but when Bunny touched a hand to his shoulder he opened his eyes. His sense of the ice faded, though always there, in the back of his mind.  


He looked at the other guardians, standing in a semicircle around him, before turning his eyes to Bunny. It was a terrible conflicted feeling, the warmth and closeness. Bunny was next to him, hand on his shoulder, and he wanted so much to lean against the strength and comfort provided. If Eumundi was here he would, but Eumundi had been a lie. Jack didn't know Bunny, and worse, he couldn't trust Bunny.  


He shrank away, and Bunny let his hand drop.  


North spoke quietly to Bunny, who nods. He asks Jack if he can stand, and Jack grips his staff and tries to stand on shaking legs.  


A shake of his head is the only warning Bunny gives before he scoops a surprised Jack up in his arms. He says something again, and Jack realizes they aren't speaking quietly, he can't hear them. Bunny repeats himself, and it's like hearing through water. Taking Jack, taking him somewhere.  


Fear seizes Jack, but his struggles are weak and useless. Keeping the ice going has sapped the last of his strength.

 

Bunny explains, slowly, he doesn't want Jack anywhere near the Auction house, or Ananke. Jack is dazed, and just stares at him, he asks if Jack understands, he's taking Jack to the warren. Then Jack's eyes go wide and he starts struggling again, it's weak and more of a wriggle, but in Bunny's arms it makes holding him difficult.  


Bunny tells the others he'll be back, but they just grin, North unsheathing his swords says to take his time, and Tooth takes to the air, wondering out loud if the yeti saved any fighting outside for them.  


Bunny taps open a tunnel, and they slide into the warren. Its warm, even in the shaded cavern. Behind them Sandy begins floating the frozen Human slaves down, even covered in ice little golden dreams dance around their heads.  


It's not far of a walk to the warren, Bunny opened his tunnel as close as he could to his main continental paths. He exits the arctic tunnel and into the warren proper. Jack is amazed at so much green. It's like a forest underground.  


For a moment he stops trying to get away, and slumps in Bunny's arms, just…  staring at everything. Bunny lays him gently in the grass among the towering foxglove and moss covered boulders.  


Jack tries to sit up but only manages a bit of a wriggle, and Bunny laughs, placing a paw against his chest. Its warm, and large, and feels like its placed right up against his heart. No skin or rib cage, just his cold beating heart in Bunny's warm grasp.  


Jack gives up. He obviously can't do anything about the situation, and trying would only further embarrass him. He's made enough of a fool of himself in front of Bunnymund. Jack rolls over, turning his back on Bunny and curling around his staff. He's tired, he's frustrated, and he's emotionally wrung. Its humiliating how much effort simply turning onto his side takes.  


He's close to tears and he hates it, but he can't help it, and he's too tired to fight them back.  


He senses more then feels Bunny get up and move away, the silence in his ears has become a low ringing drone, and through it he knows he hears voices, but not what they are saying.  


Jack drifts off to sleep to the warm feeling of Bunny's magic against his ice.

 

Bunny leaves Jack's side with a heavy heart, but he knew this would happen, knew the instant Jack told Eumundi he loved Bunnymund that he would hurt Jack.  


But he still clings to that hope, the hope that Jack's feelings for Eumundi meant they could, maybe, try to build something between the shattered ends of the bridge they found themselves standing on opposite sides of.  


Sandy has moved the humans to the cavern, and settled them on the ground. Bunny sees more than one snow scene among them, and chuckles. Well, when you're cold what else will you dream about.  


They communicate for a moment before Sandy flies off to help their friends, leaving Bunny with the task of thawing out the slaves and removing their wards.  


Bunny has hope. If Jack is safe, and in the warren, they can talk it out. He's certain once he explains it'll be, not fine, but better. None of that "it started out that way but then I fell in love" nonsense. He is going to sit Jack down, start from the beginning, and carefully make sure Jack understands that he NEVER intended to use Jack as a tool. That the ward kept him silent, and when he could speak he knew revealing himself would only cause Jack pain.  
  
~*~

  
Jack wakes slowly, he's warm and groggy, and everything hurts. He stretches, and blinks his eyes open. Everything is blurry at first, and nothing makes sense.  


Waking in a new place isn't unusual, Jack usually falls asleep when he's run himself into the ground. It wouldn't be the first time he's knocked himself out tangling with some storm or another, but he never wakes warm, or inside a house. Falling asleep watching kids is bad, he lowers the temperature too much, it's not safe for them. That’s why he always watches outside.  


He struggles to sit up, and the covers fall back. He stares down at them, confused. a plush comforter and thick sheet, the underside has frosted, and so has the bed, but the outer side of the blanket is untouched.  


He slides out from under them and sits on the edge of the bed, gazing around the room. It looks plain, just a circular room with a bed, there's a window covered in curtains, the glow of sunlight around the edges.  


His anxiety is peeking, until he steps down and his foot touches his staff. Instantly he centers, and a rush of relief fills him. He crouches down and picks it up, holding it close with both hands.  


He feels the energy inside it, so close to his own, but different. A little like the wards, almost alive.  


TwineTender pulses in recognition of him, and frosts in greeting.  


He's okay, so long as he has his staff he can face anything.  


Then he remembers what happened, it feels like a dream, a horrible confusing dream that made so sense. No sense at all. He sits back on the bed and buries his face in his hands. What is he going to do? It was bad enough when he was in love and knew nothing would come of it, but now Bunny knew, and worse Bunny had used it, used him. Was this the future for him? Controlled by his emotions? Manipulated under the guise of caring?  


How far would it go? How long until Jack didn't care anymore? Simply let Bunnymund do as he liked?  


He could still feel Bunny's touch, his magic against his own, the feel of his lips against his forehead.nAnd Eumundi, who had watched him so heatedly, who had touched him so carefully, made him feel wanted. He had felt nothing but kindness for the slave, but that kindness had led him to allow Eumundi to do as he pleased, if only to keep from hurting him.  


Jack hugs his arms around himself and looks around the room once more, bare stone walls with no corners, singular circular window, and an oval shaped bed. They were all eggs, he laughed harshly, like a cough. EEGS! and how ridiculous was it for him to find fondness in him, after everything that happened, for the Easter Bunny to have a bedroom shaped like eggs.  


He flops over and buries his face in the soft comforter, no scratchy embroidery or rough pattern, just thick soft cloth over plush cushioning, simple, utilitary, like the room.  


It smells like Eumundi. Jack sighs, going limp. Of course Bunny and Eumundi would smell the same, but he wished they didn't, wish there was some way, some minute subtle difference, for him to differentiate between them. So he could hold on to those memories as precious, and not proof his love for Bunny twisted even his unconscious decisions.  


It hadn't only bern Eumundi's good dream he had been preserving. He had wanted memories of his own, something he could hide in during quiet moments, in the protection of sleep. Long after he had set Eumundi free, long even after he had passed as all humans do, Jack would have those memories to comfort him.  


Now they did nothing but torment.  


The door opened and he sat up, so fast his head spun, and stared at Bunnymund in the doorway. Bunny looked just as shocked as he did, but shook it off quickly, ducking his head with an apology. His ears drooped back, and he seemed to sink in on himself.  


Jack had never seen Bunny uncomfortable, or shy. It threw him further off balance. Something pale darted between Bunny's feet and thumped onto the bed, Whirlwind wriggled her way into his lap, rubbing herself against his stomach. It was enough distraction to break his shock, and he laughed, scooping her up and cuddling her close as she barked. Now, now everything was right in his world. His two most important things, his staff and his wind, were safe.  


Everything else was secondary. It WAS. He told himself, feeling tears burn his eyes. Nothing else mattered but this.  


With that resolve he faced Bunny again, who was looking at him fondly. Looking at him like…  like Eumundi did when Jack had done something normal, some everyday activity he barely thought about like starting a snowball fight or frosting some windows. And Eumundi would be staring at him like Jack had just turned his world upside down.  


Bunny asks if he could come in, and Jack shrugs, looking back at the happy weasel in his hands. He says it’s Bunny's room.  


Bunny affirms that, yes it is his room, but after everything that happened yesterday he thinks it’s important that Jack feel comfortable. And that they understand each other's boundaries before they talk. Bunny knows Jack is feeling raw, and used, and he wants Jack to really regain his footing. To feel in control, because Bunny understands that Cupid’s arrow, and now with this Eumundi issue, has given him all the power, and he could so easily screw this up, one way or the other.  


Jack watches him, wary, and Aster wants nothing more to soothe his fears, but he stays by the door until Jack invites him in.  


Finally Jack nods, and Aster breathes out the stress of the moment in a sigh, then shuts the door. He slowly approaches the bed. He begins on what he thinks is safe ground. They have all the humans from last night safely home, and the spirits at a secured location. Some of the attendants were captured slaves, but most were simply employees made to wear the wards as a security measure. They're sorting those out now, but the patrons, and Ananke, are all locked away awaiting judgement.  


The spirits Bunny identified that fled, or had not been there that night, are being searched for. They would like, if he wants, for Jack to give them any names he knows, since Jack had been infiltrating the Auction House longer than them.  


Jack says that everything he knew was in the notebook he gave North. All the spirits, the locations of the Auction House, and his fellow patrons, including the VIPs.  


Bunny says the notebook has been very helpful, but he would like to know if Jack was willing to identify them. Many of them are simply described, not named, and it would be a big help if they had someone who could recognize them.  


Jack looks up at Bunny, then back down to Whirlwind and nods.  


Aster waits a few moments, to see if Jack has anything to add, but when nothing happens he starts the real conversation. He spent the entire morning going over what he needs to say in his head, but getting the thoughts and feelings out of his mouth in comprehensive words is difficult. He asks Jack if he can sit, and Jack just wordlessly nods, not looking up at him at all. It really is the best reaction Bunny could hope for, but he can't help but wish for anger or tears and shouting. If Jack hurled accusations at him he could answer, he could build on them, deflect them, deny them. Being the one to start, it’s terrifying.  


It also places the burden of not causing the shouting on him. If he doesn't say this right, it could all crumble away.  


He sits next to Jack on the bed, feeling suddenly lost. He doesn't want to start with "I know you think I used you" because that sounded like he was saying he knew what Jack thought, and Bunny honestly had no idea what was on Jack's mind. He also didn't want to bring up the…  the arrow thing right away. It was obviously a sore spot. And Eumundi? Also not a good starting point.  


The whole mess was a complicated series of conversational boobytraps.  


Finally he decided that, well, the whole story was best. Even if it risked Jack getting impatient. Telling it like he was telling someone else sounded easier.  


So he started. He told Jack that several months ago North noticed some children disappearing from his list. Not many people have the right to look at North's list, but it’s got more magical coding in it than the entire pole combined.  


Children are not either Naughty or Nice, humans are more complicated than that, and intent does count. The list doesn't split until a certain deadline, until then all children who believe are watched over. Their names and locations displayed unbiasedly.  


The children can move location, they can stop believing, they can even die, but they do not ever disappear from that years list, not once they are on it. Investigating it, North discovered children's location going missing first, children move, they lose their homes, become migrant, or are kidnapped, but their location is always displayed, like a tracking device. For them to have no location meant that they entered a shielded spiritual realm.  


Then, then the child's name vanishes.  


Even a dead child stays on the list, it’s hard to see it, but the guardians don't turn their backs from grief, or blind themselves to reality. For a name to disappear means the child was spirited away, and so many, North knew something was up.  


Then something even stranger happened, children reappeared. Sandy out delivering dreams brushed against a nightmare memory, not something unusual for his work, but the nightmare was about spirits. Sandy collected the dream, and brought it to Toothiana, who tried to clarify the distorted childlike exaggerations.  


They could make out little of the dream, thanks to the ward's self defense memory wipe, but they recognized the kidnapping and human trafficking parts. How the child escaped wasn't known, Sandy had taken the nightmare before that part, but he was safe and that was good enough. They searched for others, and were relieved to find some, only a fraction of what was missing, but it gave them something to follow.  


Through the flashback nightmares they gathered information, until they could at least figure out a starting point.  


The fact that they took adults too gave them hope, as much as it hurt to gain hope from someone else's misfortune.  


Bunny volunteered to disguise himself as bait. It took some trial and error, and a lot of waiting out in the open for hours. He shifted between innumerable forms before someone finally snatched him up.  


Then he was taken to the Auction House, processed, and put on sale.  


And that's where he saw Jack.  


Bunny tried to give an encouraging smile as Jack watched him from under his eyelashes, head tilted down. He knew it was risky admitting the next part, but it was key that Jack understand Bunny did not set out to use him.  


He tells Jack about that first night, and admits to his shame that he had not been surprised to see Jack there. He had still been bitter over the storm of 68, and hearing Jack haggle over him, stating that he prefered someone younger... Aster forgot himself, forgot what he was there for. He hadn't meant to attack Jack, but the idea of a child being eaten, it had put him over the edge.  


And then Jack bought him, and all he could think about was murder.  


His task was simple, disguise himself as a slave and when he is bought capture his new master and bring him back to the Pole for interrogation.  


But when the time came, Jack surprised him. Not only did Jack treat the children with kindness and set them free, but he brought them safely home. He gave them comfort, and delivered them from harm. Then he put Bunny in a boat and sent him with a mermaid to Australia.  


He hadn't expected that. And knowing, experiencing, Jack's kindness, he had to reevaluate what he believed.  


Jack asks if that was when Bunny decided to use him.  


Bunny felt encouraged by this, even if it was accusatory it was a response, it meant Jack was listening. It meant he could hope.  


He said no, NO, he had done his best to AVOID Jack. Had wanted to keep Jack away from what he was doing.

 

Bunny tells Jack that he had tried to avoid him at the Auction house, he hadn't wanted Jack any more involved than he already was. But, and he's sorry, but it wasn't just to protect Jack. Bunny had spent all these years hating Jack, he had believed the worst in him, just like everyone else. Finding out he was wrong, it hurt. Jack being a good person meant that Bunny had been cruel, and allowed, even encouraged others to be cruel to someone who had not deserved it.  


He had wanted space, and time, to process that, and to begin to make amends. He had not been fair to Jack, and he was angry at himself for it, which made him angry at Jack for making him feel that way, and Jack did not deserve that anger.  


It was best that Bunny not interact with Jack until he had his feelings and opinions sorted out. So he tried to avoid Jack, but Jack kept buying him.  


Every time!  


It was so frustrating, because it was already a hit or miss just getting captured for the Auction. Maybe once out of every dozen times Bunny would go out he'd be taken, and as soon as he's there Jack just zeroes in on him, and he couldn't figure out why. It was irritating and confusing. Bunny had to not only deal with his own guilt, but also the upset over his mission Failing, AND watching Jack be such a good person, and Jack was a very very good person.  


Finally they decided, as a group, to bring Jack in. They had no intention of using him, but simply to work together. It was best if Jack at least knew Bunny was there, so that whatever was drawing Jack to Bunny would not ruin his attempts.  


And that’s when he became Eumundi.  


He wanted to be bought by the war god who ran the human fight ring, he had purposefully changed everything about himself from all the other forms. Bigger, stronger, darker. He had hoped Jack wouldn't see him as someone needing saving. But before he even reached the general Auction he was singled out and brought directly to Jack.  


It hadn't been planned, and Bunny would never have agreed if it was. It had simply been bad luck.  


But why keep it secret? Jack asks, if Bunny had already decided to tell him, why pretend to be Eumundi?  


Firstly, Bunny insists, he did not PRETEND to be Eumundi. His name IS Eumundi. Eumundi Aster Bunnymund. Then he holds up his hand, where the Moss Agate is still wrapped around his wrist. This ward, by complete accident, is inside a stone perfectly matched to Bunny.  


Jack reaches out and touches the stone, and it warms at the contact.  


Bunny explains that the previous wards were created for humans, not spirits, and so they were easy to work past, like an extra weight but instead of on his body it was on his power. But the Moss Agate resonated with his magic through his stone sense, a sublet of his powers over the earth. By cutting that off Bunny was unable to use his earth magic, and thus unable to make a tunnel. And it wasn’t enough to break just the one ward, that Jack’s sister ward also needed to be overpowered. Then there was the Obedience Ward.  


Jack objects, he SAW Bunny break it, it was completely useless in his hands!  


And Bunny grabs Jack's hand, still touching the ward, so that he has it between his paws. No, he insists, no it's because of Jack that he could break the ward.  


It did work, better with the Moss Agate than it would have alone probably. Bunny was completely bound and unable to do anything, and when he was, when he had usurped enough of its core magic with his own to achieve some level of freedom, he couldn't speak. Not because of the ward or a command or fear that he would expose himself.  


But because he knew it would hurt Jack.  


He cared about Jack, he wanted to be on good terms with Jack, maybe even friends, and yes he was attracted to Jack, but that all meant nothing in the face of the colossal WRONG done to Jack.  


He was going to reveal himself after the Private Auction, he WAS, but he slipped up. He tried to comfort Jack, stupid, stupid wasted opportunity But he couldn't stand to hear Jack belittle himself. After that hug the Ward wrapped him up, and when the Yeti and other slaves were gone all he could ask was why? Why did Jack care about him, about the Easter Bunny so much?  


And when Jack…  when he explained what had happened Bunny knew he couldn't reveal himself. Because he cared about Jack, and what had been done to him was cruel, and it was wrong.  


He's sorry for kissing Jack, it had been a selfish action when Jack had been vulnerable and in pain, but Bunny wants Jack to know that he DOES care. He does.  


Jack pulls his hand back and Bunny lets him, lets it slide from between his hands like he fears his chances with Jack eventually will.  


"Why?" Jack asks. "Why, when you know how I felt, did you treat me like… ?" Like a lover is what he wants to say, but they had never gotten that far. Only the promise of it. If Eumundi had ever pressed the issue would Jack have denied him? Or would he have simply let him do as he liked? Jack's complacency sickened him, he had no feelings for Eumundi beyond friendship, and he didn't know if it had been Cupid’s Arrow, or his own desperation to be touched that fueled it. Which was worse? Spell or loneliness?  


Bunny confesses that he had wanted to be kind to Jack, to comfort him, and care for him. Yes, he was attracted, and he shouldn't have watched him, shouldn't have touched him or kissed him all those times, it was stupid and selfish and he is so very sorry, but he cares for Jack and he had just wanted to show it, to show how much Jack mattered.  


And Jack does matter.  


Bunny hesitates, but puts a hand on Jack's shoulder, and looks him in his miserable eyes. And tells him that, tells him he matters.  


Jack is crying. His eyes spill over, and he finally gives in. He wraps his arms around Bunny and buries his face in his chest and he weeps, quietly, in Bunny's hold.  


Aster holds Jack, and the Moss Agate is a green ember burning on his wrist as his hope and his love fills every crevice of him. That’s when Bunny realizes he's in love.  


Neither knows how long they stay like that, as long as they both need it was all that mattered, but eventually Jack pulls back, wiping his eyes.  


Bunny asks if Jack wants him to finish, and Jack says yes. He needs to hear it.  


Bunny takes a risk and cups the side of Jack's face, his thumb rubbing away a tear from Jack's cheek and Jack laughs, but it’s a good laugh, a little breathless, a little giddy.  


He doesn't know what he feels, it’s a mess inside him, but the fears of Bunny using him are gone. For the moment he choses to believe, and maybe it’s a mistake, maybe it’s all really a lie, maybe the reason he's feeling this way is the arrow but he choses to believe anyway.  


Bunny tells Jack that if he knew he was going into the Auction House last night looking for him he would have spoken up, he would have told Jack who he was, and stopped it all there. But he had wanted, and it was wrong of him, but he had wanted those moments with Jack. One more Day, one more snowball fight, one more kiss. He had spoken the truth when he had told Jack that it was a good dream, and he hadn't wanted that dream to end. Because as Eumundi he could be what Jack needed.  


And he was afraid.  


Bunny hesitates here, but he needs to admit it, needs to say it. He was afraid that Jack wouldn't love him without Cupid’s Arrow. That fear held him back, it was always there, even at his happiest moments with Jack, he was afraid. Because he was falling in love, and Jack was forced into it. But then Jack said something that changed it all.  


He told Bunny that he would chose him.

 

That if he wasn't cursed, if the Arrow was not involved, if he had any choice at all, Jack would chose to love Eumundi. And the magic of that moment, the joy and hope those words ignited in Bunny, obliterated the obedience ward.  


This ward, Bunny holds up the Moss Agate again, this and its sister, they belong to them now, Jack and Bunny. Its that feeling, their combined magic fueling it. And that is why Jack could use it to power his ice blast. That is why Bunny could destroy the ward Ananke gave him. Because now he knows that Jack loves him, can love him, without being made to, and Bunny, he loves Jack.  


Jack kisses Bunny.  


It’s awkward, he's only kissed Eumundi before, the differences in facial features makes it difficult to find an angle, but Aster draws him closer and tilts just right and they figure it out.  


Whirlwind makes complaining noises, and they pull back, she's squished between them for the second time and she is not pleased. They laugh together as she hops down grumbling.  


But Bunny says it’s probably best. They still have one thing left to do before they start any real relationship. He studies Jack, asking if Jack does want a relationship. And Jack stares at him, searching Bunny's face and his own heart before he says yes.  


Bunny stands, pulling Jack with him, and says that they need to go talk to Eros. He was called to the Pole. They had planned on getting him to reverse the effects of Cupids Arrow, and that was why Bunny had come to check on Jack. Jack is surprised, but he really shouldn't be. Of course Bunny would want to fix this. He was just the kind of person to go out of his way to help.  


Then Jack laughs and smacks himself with his staff.  


Bunny asks what’s wrong and Jack says nothing, just the Arrow making his thoughts stupid.  


And Bunny smiles fondly at him, asking if Jack just had a mushy thought.  


Jack purses his lips and tells Bunny to shut up.  


And Bunny asks if Jack is sure it was the Arrow making his thoughts stupid, or if the mush was all his own.  


And Jack shoves him playfully.  


They head out into the warren proper, and Bunny reaches for Jack's hand.  


The Moss Agate glows as they lace their fingers together, Jack looking around in awe at Bunny's home.  


In his Bandolier Aster has the sister stone. He intends to offer it to Jack, once the Arrow's magic has been removed.  


Their own tokens, small golems powered by their feelings.  


He hopes Jack will accept.  


But looking at Jack, walking hand in hand through the tunnels towards the Pole, he knows that Hope is not necessary.  


Jack's feelings, arrow or no, are valid.  


And he's not afraid anymore.  


The End!


End file.
